Firearms are devices which project either single or multiple projectiles through a controlled explosion of explosive powder built in the bullets. Firearms are classified into small arms and heavy weapons. Small arms such as rifles or handguns use small size bullets and have a size that is appropriate for an individual to carry and operate. Heavy weapons such as mortars or recoilless guns use relatively larger bullets compared to small arms and have a large size that can be operated by a group of staffs.
Most of the firearms use a bullet that has a built-in percussion cap in the rear end of the bullet, which is ignited by the percussion. When a percussion lock installed in the firearm gives a firing pin an impact, percussion is given to the percussion cap through the firing pin thereby igniting the gunpowder in the bullet by the percussion cap and firing the head of the bullet.
The percussion lock hits the firing pin by using the elastic force of a spring, and plays a key role in the construction of the firearm since a bullet is fired when the operator of the firearm pulls the trigger which is connected to the percussion lock.
A percussion lock of a rifle is illustrated in FIG. 1 as an example of prior art percussion lock.
The conventional percussion lock is constructed inside the firearm and comprises a hammer 10 which is located at the rear side of the firing pin 20 with predetermined length and formed to hit the firing pin 20, and a spring (not illustrated) supporting the hammer 10 through elastic force, a hinge 11 being formed at the lower end of the hammer 10 so that the hammer 10 can rotate.
According to the construction of the conventional percussion lock, the hammer 10 is rotated, at the time of firing, to the opposite direction of the firing pin 20 thereby compressing the spring which supports the hammer 10 through elastic force of the spring, and, as the operator pulls the trigger, the compressed spring returns to the original state and the hammer 10 hits the firing pin 20 thereby firing the bullet.
In the conventional percussion lock, however, the hammer 10 moves in rotary motion and when the firing pin 20 is located remote from the hammer 10, the length of the hammer 10 should be extended, thereby making the radius of rotation longer. So designing the firearm is limited and the volume and weight of the firearm increase, making it difficult to manufacture smaller firearms.